Stone hearts and hand grenades
by ShadowsOnTheMoon
Summary: A will do anything to protect their secret - and when Spencer discovers their identity, her life is put in jeopardy. But there's someone on the inside working to keep her safe, and a with a little bit of luck she might just make it out of this. Alternate ending to S2.


**So, this is my first try at a Spanna story. It's set in the S2 finale, after the masquerade ball, when Spencer and Mona go to A's lair. This is obviously an alternate ending, with a Spanna twist. At the moment it's just going to be a one-shot, but if I feel like it/if people want it I might consider extending it by a chapter or two. Reviews make me happy, so if you like it, let me know. Enjoy!**

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_There's a lot of strength in weakness,_  
_there's a lot of truth in lies._  
_~ Leona Lewis  
_  
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Even before Spencer opens her eyes, she knows something is horribly wrong. Her mouth tastes like blood and her head is throbbing, and she struggles for a few moments to remember what had happened. Then it comes back to her all at once, and if she hadn't been seated she would have stumbled backwards under the weight of it.

Mona is A. She's been targeting them for months, systematically torturing them all – including Hanna, who was supposed to be her best friend. She and Spencer had come to this motel in the middle of nowhere in search of A… only A had been with her the whole time, leading her into a trap. Spencer had figured it out, and then… She couldn't remember. One minute she'd been standing by the table, staring at a bubblegum wrapper, and the next she was – where is she?

Slowly she opens her eyes and looks around. From the photos on the walls and the dollhouse in the corner she can tell she was still in A's – Mona's – lair. Her gaze drifts down and with horror she realizes that she's tied to a chair. She tries to call out, but there's a strip of cloth stuffed in her mouth; she can let out no more than a strangled whimper.

"Ah, Spencer. You're awake."

Another involuntary whimper escapes her as she catches sight of a black-hooded figure in front of her, eerily blending into the shadows. The figure steps forward and she sees her face, although the voice had been enough to let her know who it was. Mona is dressed in her A attire, her hair in a messy ponytail and her eyes glimmering in the light from the lamp. She smirks, knowing Spencer is entirely at her mercy.

"It took you long enough to figure it out," Mona says conversationally. "I was worried someone like you would be able to piece it together quickly – but I guess I overestimated you. Maybe if it had been your sister, she would have got it faster."

Spencer lets out an indignant yelp, but it's muffled by the gag.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Mona makes a fake sympathetic expression and hurries over to Spencer, pulling the gag out of her mouth and tossing it on the floor with a flourish. "Where _are_ my manners?"

"You probably left them behind when you stepped through the door of your first How To Be An Evil Genius class," Spencer spits, not wasting any time.

"Please." Mona smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "I never took a class. I was the one leading it."

"What -" Spencer cuts off abruptly as the door swings open and another black-clad figure enters. Their head is down and the hood covers their face, but from their build she guesses they're female.

"Ah, and here's my protégé now."

The two people retire to a corner, talking in low voices and shooting glances at her. Spencer uses the opportunity to try to figure a way out of this. The ropes binding her to the chair are tight, but maybe she can loosen them a little. She wriggles, trying to get free, but suddenly the voices stop and she jerks her head up. All thoughts of escape fall away as she sees the girl standing in front of her.

"H-Hanna?" she chokes out, stunned.

The blond-haired girl ducks her head, pulling her hood away from her face, and mumbles, "Hi Spencer."

"What – why – how –" The words trip over each other in Spencer's mouth. There's too many questions, too much emotion, and her heart is hammering so loudly she can hardly even hear Mona mocking her.

"That's right, Spencer, your dear little friend has been playing double agent." Mona crosses her arms and surveys Spencer, apparently pleased with the situation.

Spencer swallows, trying not to show how upset she is. Hanna, one of her best friends, is A. She and Mona have some kind of team, the sole purpose of which is to torture Spencer, Aria, and Emily. She's walked right into their trap, and she has a feeling they're not just going to let her walk out again.

"Spencer -" Hanna starts.

"Save it," Spencer interrupts harshly, and Hanna's mouth snaps closed. It's one thing to come to terms with Mona being A – she'd never really been Spencer's friend, and she didn't know that much about her – but it's impossible to believe that someone she knows and loves as much as Hanna could be behind this. It's impossible, even though Hanna is standing right before her, clad in black and practically declaring her allegiance to this… A-Team.

"Shall we get on with it then?" Mona asks, turning to Hanna with an amused smirk.

Hanna hesitates, staring at Spencer with an unreadable expression. Then she shrugs, turning back to Mona. "Yeah. Sure."

Spencer grits her teeth as she watches Mona approach the table in the corner, opening up a small black bag and pulling something out of it. Hanna takes a step closer to Spencer, who stiffens and refuses to look at her. "Spencer."

The word is so quiet that at first she isn't sure she really heard it. But she glances sideways and sees Hanna looking at her. Spencer raises an eyebrow, wondering what the heck is going on. Hanna is on Mona's side, isn't she?

Hanna makes sure Spencer meets her eyes, and then she mouths, _Trust me_.

Before Spencer can react, Mona moves away from the table and comes over to her. Hanna flips her hood back up, shifting her attention back to Mona again. Mona stops just in front of her, and Spencer narrows her eyes as she uncurls her fist and reveals a small white pill.

"What is that?" Spencer asks, looking from Hanna, who doesn't meet her gaze, to Mona, who smiles.

"It's just a sedative, Spencer. It'll help you relax."

If Spencer wasn't so close to tears, she would laugh at Mona's audacity. "You really think I'm going to buy that?"

Mona sinks onto one hip, sharing a smile with Hanna. "No, not really. But you're going to take it anyway."

"What will it do?" Spencer's voice catches in her throat, and she knows Mona hears it. She feels trapped, and desperate, and, worst of all, like she's going to cry.

Mona doesn't answer right away. Instead she tilts her head, looking around the lair. "You know, Spencer, we've worked hard on this. It takes a lot of effort to keep an eye on all you girls, but we've done a pretty good job. And we've got plenty more in store. But we can't do that if you go running off to your little friends and tell them that we're the ones behind it. So this is just a way to ensure your silence."

Spencer is quick on the uptake. She knows how A works, and she knows there's no way she's getting out of this. "B-by killing me?"

"There we go," Mona says appreciatively. "That's the Hastings cleverness I've heard so much about. Now, you're not getting out of this regardless – oh, yes, terribly distressing, isn't it? – but there are two ways we can go about this. This is the easy way. There is also, of course, the hard way."

To prove her point she pulls a knife from the pocket of her hoodie, balancing it carefully on her hand. One hand holds the pill, the other the knife, and Spencer feels her heart sink. How is she supposed to make this choice?

"It's fast-acting, I promise," Mona assures her. "I know that doesn't mean much, but it's definitely the right way to go. Don't you think, Hanna?"

Startled, Hanna's head shoots up and she locks eyes with Mona. Then she turns to Spencer, bites her lip, and nods. But Spencer can see something in her eyes, something soft and reassuring. It doesn't stop the tears that start spilling down Spencer's cheeks, but it does give her a tiny sliver of hope.

"Excellent." Mona slips the knife back into her pocket, approaches Spencer, and nods to Hanna. "Now, you just need to take this. It'll be quick."

The tears are coming faster now, and Spencer can hardly breathe. She turns her tear-filled eyes on Hanna, takes a shaky breath, and begs, "H-Hanna. Please don't let her do this. Please-"

"I'm sorry, Spencer," Hanna says softly, coming up behind Spencer and resting her hands on her shoulders. "We have to do this."

To her surprise, the touch feels more comforting than restraining, and the hope in Spencer's heart starts to grow. If Hanna's on her side, maybe she can get out of this after all. But the hope fades again as Hanna makes no move to save her, and Mona comes even closer. Mona reaches out, forcing Spencer's mouth open, and popping the pill inside. Then she claps her hand over Spencer's mouth and holds it there until Spencer swallows. She tries to hide it under her tongue, but she knows Mona can see through the deception. The pill scrapes down her throat, making her gag, and Mona gives her a wicked grin.

"There's a good girl," Mona says, stepping away and reaching for a glass of water. She holds it up in front of Spencer's face, waits until she obediently opens her mouth, and then tips some of it down her throat.

The water settles in a cold pool in her stomach, making her feel sick. She stares down at the floor, unable to believe that this is happening. After all she's been through, after all Mona and Hanna have done to her, this is how she's going to die? Aria and Emily may never know what happened to her – and, what's worse, they're not going to know who was behind it. The A-Team will keep targeting them and maybe they'll even kill them too.

She's dimly aware of Hanna's hands still on her shoulder, but it does little to calm her. She's going to die, and there's nothing she can do to stop it. Mona said the pill was fast-acting, but what does that mean? Will she be dead in a minute? Ten?

Hanna squeezes her shoulders and then steps away, and Spencer suddenly feels even more cold. She twists her head around to watch as Hanna goes over to a small fridge under one of the tables. From it she withdraws two glasses of blood-red wine.

"It'll take a couple of minutes to kick in," Hanna says, handing one of the glasses to Mona, who takes it in her gloved hand. "In the meantime, I propose a toast."

Mona cocks an eyebrow. "A toast to what?"

"To us." Hanna grins. A tear trickles down Spencer's neck, making her shiver. "To a job well done. To taking these bitches down once and for all."

"I'll drink to that." Mona clinks her glass with Hanna's, and then takes a long swig.

Hanna raises her own glass to her lips, but lowers it before she drinks any. Mona notices, and she even opens her mouth to ask about it. But before she can the glass slips from her hand. It shatters on the ground a second before Mona collapses, out cold even before she hits the floor.

Spencer stops crying, too shocked for tears. Her gaze flickers from Mona to Hanna and back again, trying to work out what happened. A thousand questions fly through her mind, but no words come out. A beat of silence passes, and then she manages to ask, "Is she… dead?"

"Huh?" Hanna swings her attention from Mona to Spencer, and then she giggles. "Oh, her? No. That one _was_ just a sedative."

Spencer runs a tongue along her dry lips, trying to keep up. "Then what the hell did she give me?"

"That was just an aspirin," Hanna explains gleefully, glancing at Mona's limp body on the floor. "I switched things when Mona wasn't looking."

"So…" Spencer exhales slowly, the realization sinking in. "I'm not going to die?"

Hanna shakes her head, beaming. "You're not going to die."

Spencer's eyes are wide with incredulity and relief, but she doesn't ask any more questions. This whole night has been crazy and she just wants it to end. All she knows is that she's not going to die and that Hanna's on her side, and that's enough for now.

"She'll be out for a while, but we need to get going," Hanna says, hurrying over and starting to untie the ropes holding Spencer to the chair. She struggles with the knots for a moment, but finally she pries them loose and they fall to the floor. She starts to stand up, but a second later lets out an 'oomph' as Spencer throws herself at her.

Spencer wraps her arms around her smaller friend, hugging her so tightly Hanna can barely breathe.

"S-Spence," Hanna gasps, signalling that she needs air.

Spencer pulls away quickly, and Hanna straightens, grinning. The black hood still casts shadows on her face, but she's still Hanna, still full of life and love and no intention of hurting her friends.

"Thank you," Spencer says earnestly, relief washing through her in a dizzying wave.

"It was nothing." Hanna tries to brush it away, but Spencer cups her face in her hands.

"No, really. Thank you."

And before either of them know what's happening, they're kissing. At first it's tentative, hesitant, like they're not really sure they should be doing this. But then they pick up on each other's excitement and attraction, pulling each other closer, their hands roaming and their hearts synchronizing. Finally Spencer breaks away, blushing.

"That," Hanna says, running her pinkie finger along her bottom lip and looking thoughtful, "was one hell of a thank you."

Spencer breaks into a smile, feeling faint. Hanna leans forward, catching her in a kiss which is shorter but even more passionate. This time when they break apart, they don't let go; their fingers lace together, as intertwined as their feelings. Then Hanna pulls Spencer to her feet.

"Come on," she says, slinging Spencer's arm over her own shoulder and leading her toward the door. "We need to get out of here."

Spencer lets Hanna lead her out of the room and to her car, away from this hellhole and this nightmare. She doesn't have the heart to tell her that she's not actually injured, that she can walk by herself. She leans into Hanna, enjoying the warmth and the closeness, and the knowledge that with Hanna by her side, she's always going to be okay.

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End file.
